Vascular dementia

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Definition Symptoms Causes Risk factors

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Definition

Vascular dementia is an umbrella term that describes impairments in cognitive function caused by problems in the blood vessels that feed the brain.

In some cases, a blood vessel may be completely blocked, causing a stroke. Some strokes result in dementia while others don't. It depends on the severity of the stroke and the portion of the brain that's affected. Vascular dementia also can occur when blood vessels in the brain narrow, reducing the amount of blood flow to those sections of the brain.

The prevalence of vascular dementia ranges from 1 percent to 4 percent in people over the age of 65. The risk increases dramatically with age.

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Symptoms